Investigative report says Freddie Graham told investigators he set fires in ’emotional’ state over late wife

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In a Sept. 20, 2019 eyewitness photo submitted to Cal Fire investigators, a man identified as Freddie Owen Graham is seen next to a rented SUV implicated in a series of arson fires near the Calaveras Reservoir east of Milpitas on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2019. Graham has been charged with 15 counts of arson. (Cal Fire)

In this Cal Fire photo, an SUV is seen at the scene of grass fires near the Calaveras Reservoir east of Milpitas on Sept. 21, 2019. Investigators say that SUV was rented by Freddie Owen Graham, who has been charged with 15 counts of arson for grass fires reported Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2019. (Cal Fire)

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Freddie Owen Graham poses for a photo at a Milpitas hotel where his 50th high school reunion was being held on Sept. 21, 2019. At the same time of the photo, the hills east of Milpitas, near the Calaveras Reservoir, were burning due to suspected arson fires for which Graham has been criminally charged. (Courtesy of Rich Santoro)

Pictured is a charred piece of paper that authorities say was lit and sparked at least one of 13 fires near the Calaveras Reservoir east of Milpitas on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2019. Freddie Owen Graham has been charged with 15 counts of arson in the case. (Cal Fire)

Pictured are two lighters that authorities say were used to spark some or all of 13 fires reported near the Calaveras Reservoir east of Milpitas on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2019. Freddie Owen Graham has been charged with 15 counts of arson in the case. (Cal Fire)

Cal Fire firefighters work the Reservoir Fire burning along Calaveras Road in the hills East of Milpitas, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

A Spring Valley firefighter works the Reservoir Fire burning along Calaveras Road in the hills East of Milpitas, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Cal Fire firefighters work the Reservoir Fire burning along Calaveras Road in the hills East of Milpitas, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

A Cal Fire firefighter works the Reservoir Fire burning along Calaveras Road in the hills East of Milpitas, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Cal Fire firefighters work the Reservoir Fire burning along Calaveras Road in the hills East of Milpitas, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Freddie Graham, 68, of Lone Jack, Missouri, was arrested and charged with 15 arson-related felonies on allegations he set multiple fires in the foothills east of Milpitas on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2019. (Santa Clara Co. Sheriff's Office)

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MILPITAS — Rich Santoro was meeting with a high-school friend at a pizzeria on Thursday, reminiscing about the 50th class reunion they had organized over the weekend, when his friend got a text message asking about the arrest of a classmate.

When he opened the newspaper Friday morning, Santoro saw a mugshot and a headline about grass fires set by an arsonist. The photo was that of Freddie Graham, who had attended the reunion of Samuel Ayer High School alumni that Saturday night at the Sheraton in Milpitas. Not far away, the east hills near the Calaveras Reservoir were burning.

Freddie Graham, 68, of Lone Jack, Missouri, was arrested and charged with 15 arson-related felonies on allegations he set multiple fires in the foothills east of Milpitas on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2019. (Santa Clara Co. Sheriff’s Office)

Graham is being held in the Elmwood men’s jail in Milpitas on $2 million bail. Interviews with authorities and people who attended the reunion, as well as investigative reports about the arson, suggest a timeline in which Graham flew into San Jose from Missouri on Thursday, set four fires on Friday, set nine more on Saturday and then attended the reunion.

He was returning a rental car — his second of the weekend, after reportedly swapping out the one seen by a witness at the fires — when he was arrested Monday by Cal Fire officials at Mineta San Jose International Airport, where he was catching a flight back to the Midwest.

According to a Cal Fire investigative report submitted to prosecutors, Graham was photographed in a silver SUV by an unidentified witness near the scene of a grass fire reported around 12:45 p.m. Friday. He was spotted again about 24 hours later in the same area, this time by Cal Fire personnel who were battling a new set of grass fires.

A battalion chief ordered his colleagues to “stop that car,” referring to Graham’s SUV, but the vehicle left the scene, according to the report. When the battalion chief was shown a photo of Graham, he recognized him “instantaneously.”

“That’s the guy, no doubt, it’s him,” the report states.

Hours later, Graham appeared at his class reunion, and showed no signs that he was upset or troubled, Santoro said.

“He was excited to come. I talked to him five or six times during the night. He was happy he was there. He told me, ‘I didn’t expect to have this much fun.’ ” he said. “It turns out he had already set the fires.”

Freddie Owen Graham poses for a photo at a Milpitas hotel where his 50th high school reunion was being held on Sept. 21, 2019. At the time the photo was taken, the hills east of Milpitas, near the Calaveras Reservoir, were burning in suspected arson fires, for which Graham has been criminally charged. (Courtesy of Rich Santoro)

Similar observations were offered by a woman who said she met Graham on an online dating site in July. She told WDAF-TV in Kansas City that she exchanged text messages with him at a time when he allegedly was setting the Friday fires.

“He sounded normal,” she told the TV station. “He sounded happy.”

After his arrest, Graham gave investigators a starkly different impression, according to the Cal Fire report. He reportedly said that he and his late wife — who records show died in 2018 — had planned to drive together on Calaveras Road, which leads to the reservoir.

“Because she passed away and could not be with him, it made him emotional, starting the fires,” the report states.

Santoro said Graham told him something similar, about scuttled plans to “drive up this road together,” when he invited Graham to the reunion during a conversation in May.

Also according to the report, Graham told investigators that he ignited a paper bag and napkins from a fast-food restaurant and tossed them out of the front-passenger vehicle of the rental SUV. The report also noted that Graham does not smoke but carried two lighters in his travel bag.

Graham has denied requests for comment or a jail interview. He faces 13 counts of arson — one for each fire he allegedly ignited — and two special counts for arson during a state of emergency declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom in March, ahead of wildfire season. He is scheduled to return to court Monday for possible entry of a plea.

Graham also faces an arson charge in Missouri related to allegations that in August 2018 he set fire to a tractor-trailer in Lone Jack, his listed city of residence. WDAF-TV reported, citing court records, that Graham was on hand as firefighters put out the blaze, and when shown video of the incident, allegedly stated, “I guess I done it.”

Robert Salonga is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering criminal justice and public safety for The Mercury News. A San Jose native, he attended UCLA and has a Master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He previously reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, and is a middling triathlete. Reach him the low-tech way at 408-920-5002.